Articles | Volume 18, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-5563-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-5563-2026
Data description article
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29 Jul 2026
Data description article | Highlight paper |  | 29 Jul 2026

Munition piles in the German Baltic Sea: inventory and maritime hazard perspectives

Torsten Frey, Mareike Keller, Jochen Mohrmann, Alexander Pechmann, Samar Ensenbach, and Jens Greinert

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Munition pile inventory in the German Baltic Sea, 2017 to 2024 Torsten Frey et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.988426

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Editorial statement
This article presents the first comprehensive and standardised inventory of munition piles in the German Baltic Sea. It combines acoustic data (MBES) and expert-annotated photomosaics. The article also proposes an innovative methodology for extrapolating the number of objects and assessing maritime risks.
Short summary
Sea-dumped munitions are a threat to economic activities at sea. This study presents the first comprehensive dataset of munition piles in the German Baltic Sea. It was created by mapping, annotating, and analysing three major dump sites. The results show that the piles differ greatly in their size and composition. Many piles lie close to protected areas and a sediment dump site. The dataset can aid discussions on monitoring, risk assessment and prioritisation of piles for clearance.
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